There's Nothing Like Christmas in NYC
by wllgardners
Summary: "He was tired of spending his holidays alone, pretending that he didn't need some joyful companion."


**Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own any of the characters from CSI: NY.**

 **A/N: this is basically a little something that came up in my head with this whole holiday season feelings. It follows the events of my other fic "High Noon". Feedback is always appreciated.**

After Sid insisting over oh so many weeks, Mac had given in and decided to attend his friend's Christmas party. Truth was; he was tired of spending his holidays alone, pretending that he didn't need some joyful companion. Last year he had already escaped from this fate, however this would be the first time he'd spend Christmas Eve's night with his family from work.

Or at least he thought so, as the time approached to said special date, seemed like everyone from the lab was opting for other plans. Flack would stay with his relatives, Lindsay would fly to Montana to be with her family, Danny was too immersed in his own particular dark hole to even think of holidays and Stella had stated since day one she couldn't be a part of it. As it turns out, only he and Hawkes ended up going to the coroner's house for a special dinner.

He had no complaints though, Sid's family made him feel incredibly welcomed. His wife, Annie, was one of the sweetest people he had ever met and his daughters were extremely cordial with him. The food was so amazing it got him to eat way too much and the general mood inside that house was of absolutely happiness.

With the corner of his eye, Mac caught the sight of Hawkes talking to Sid's brother-in-law about efficient excercises to prevent sports related injuries. He chuckled at that, Hawkes had spent many holidays with the Hammerbacks and it was pretty obvious he had a great connection with them. A further analysis of that topic was interrupted by the loud sound of the doorbell ringing and the sight of the two hosts walking eagerly to open the door for this late visitor.

Mac watched as the door swung open revealing a bright smile and the shiny eyes of a person he was quite familiarized with. Stella had come after all. She hugged both Sid and Annie and talked to them as the doctor took her coat and placed it in the hanger with the others. The sweet lady walked Stella around the house while introducing her, she politely greeted all the guests until finally reaching Mac.

"Oh this one you already know" Annie said, showing her dimpled smile. Both detectives chuckled in response. "What do you want to eat, dear?"

"Actually I've already had dinner" Stella replied in an apologetic tone.

"I won't let you get out of my house without having at least desert."

"Her chocolate peacan pie is to die for" Mac added to the conversation, causing his friend to look at him with an enigmatic grin for a split of second.

"Sure, bring in the pie" she joked back at the host, who nodded and made her way to the kitchen, leaving the two of them alone. She turned at the man besides her "Hey there."

"I thought you weren't coming" he asked with slight confusion.

"Kind of a last minute decision" she replied with a shrugg.

"May I ask where were you?" his tone was intrigued.

"St. Basils orphanage" she watched as he squinted his eyes at her. He identified this name as the place she grew up on. "I've been going to their Christmas Eve celebration as a volunteer since I left there. We prepare meals for the kids and make a little play to entretain them."

"I-I had no idea you did such a beautiful thing" the look on his eyes quickly shifted to admiration. It probably wasn't easy for her to go back to that place, but she did it so selflessly to help others. If that woman wasn't an inspiration to every kid in the system, he had no idea who could be.

"I don't like to parade it. It's something that doesn't concern to anyone else, you know?" her explanation caused him to nod in acknowledgment.

"Was it because of the play that you painted your nose red?" he commented once she moved her head slightly to the side, revealing a small red paint smudge he hadn't noticed so far because of the light.

"Wha-" her brows furrowed and her hand flew to wipe the tip of her nose. Looking down at the red smudge now on her fingers she giggled softly before drifting her eyes back up to him. Her gaze was lit like of a child after tearing the wrap of a gift on Christmas morning. "I was Rudolph this year."

He chuckled as well, his mind on frenezy regarding how adorable she looked right now. Happiness suited her well.

Before he could say anything else Annie returned with a plate carrying a very generous slice of her already famous chocolate peacan pie.

"Thank you" Stella picked up the plate that was handed to her.

"You're not eating while standing up. Come on, I'll find you a place at the table" Annie took Stella by the hand and practically dragged her towards the dining room.

She looked back at Mac, prying him to not stand there alone. He half smiled and followed the two women. At the dinner table, Stella sat in between Sid's brother-in-law and Mac and right across an already altered by alcohol Hawkes. The four of them made small talk for a while, as the lady in the conversation had her stomach filled with what she was pretty sure to be the best pie in the whole world.

A couple hours went by since Stella had arrived. All of Sid and Annie's relatives had left already, their daughters had gone upstairs to prep for sleep and Hawkes was fully drunk taking an involutary nap on the family's couch. The hosts were in the kitchen, doing the dishes together, while Mac and Stella were cleaning up the living and dining room to help the people who invited them to keep the house organized.

They were both distracted on their tasks when the sound of something hitting the ground and breaking, followed by a woman's pained cry coming from the kitchen got them both to run to the source of these noises. When they both reached the kitchen's doorframe, Annie was sat down at the counter while Sid held a napkin on the palm of her hand.

"Is everything okay?" Mac asked in an alarmed tone, bringing the attention from the couple to him.

"Glass slipped from her hand. Just a superficial cut" Sid explained. The detectives on the doorframe relaxed when hearing this.

"Good thing I'm married to a doctor, right?" Annie added in a playful tone, effetively easing the tension in the room. She looked at Mac and Stella quickly before raising her gaze right above them. "You two are under the mistletoe."

They both turned their head up, in a practically mirroed gesture, realizing that indeed they were standing right underneath a mistletoe. Mac gulped hard before staring at Stella, who watched him with her lips pursed together and a slight blush on her cheeks. As if that wasn't awkward enough, suggesting another kiss less than a month after they had shared a rather forbidden one was even more aggravating. Especially since they were also in a grey area of their friendship, each one trying to figure out exactly how to deal with the feelings for one another.

Stella was the one to move in order to fullfill the tradition, she placed a hand on his chin, keeping his head facing front as she pressed her lips on his cheek tenderly. He closed his eyes the moment he felt her on his skin, a wave of goosebumps flooded his body and it seemed like the tip of his ears would become flushed just like that night on his office. She also had butterflies on her stomach just to be doing this, this kind of closeness between that had been nonexistent since the previous kiss. It was the first time she got the chance to smell his cologne and feel the warmth irradiating from his body hitting hers since then.

She pulled back slowly, her eyes flickering up and down his body quickly, trying to capture a reaction from him. All he managed to do was turn his head and lock eyes with hers. He carried the same gaze she had witnessed right before the first kiss, enough to make her breath inadvertedly get caught up on her throat. Meanwhile, it took him all the strength on his form to not stare at her lips, which would be a clear indication he was breaking their silent rule of not ever bringing up what happened in any way. None of them knew a kiss on the cheek could bring up this sort of emotions until then.

Annie and Sid watched the scene with wide eyes. The doctor had always known there was something deeper going on between the two CSI's, for a long time he had believed neither of them had realized it so far. But now, the evident thickness in the air surrounding the duo on the door frame served as proof for him that yes, they were aware of their feelings for each other. Perhaps they just haven't work it all out yet.

"You know..." Sid clearled his throat loudly on purpose, in order to break the seemlingly hypnotic state both co-workers were on for a few seconds after the mistletoe kiss "It's pretty late already. You two should go home. We take it from here."

Mac nodded while Stella shoook her hand quickly, rearranging her thoughts "What about Hawkes?"

"Oh let him crash on the couch, won't be the first time Sheldon wakes up here for Christmas morning" Annie lightened up the mood even more. She had noticed her husband was trying to come up with an excuse to leave his friends alone. Truth being said, she had heard stories about Mac and Stella, and most of the times she thought Sid was exaggerating. Tonight proved in a lot of different ways that he actually wasn't.

The CSI's chuckled in response, avoiding direct eye contact with each other at first. But none of them resisted to take a glimpse at the other's expression of amusement.

"Well, we know our way out. Thank you both for such an amazing night" Mac moved foward to greet the hosts.

"Yeah, pie was delicious and I had a really good time. Thank you" Stella did the same before she started to walk towards the front door.

Mac joined her, the both of them walking side by side towards the living room. His mind was working really hard to try and find something to say. He had been trying his best to not let things get awkward between them since the kiss, this was of extreme importance. He valued their friendship too much to let things go south because of what happened.

"Please tell me we're going to tease Hawkes until the end of his days for passing out on Sid's couch" her humorous comment as they passed right in front of their friend sleeping while holding one of the armrests got him to quickly shut his eyes in relief. A practically undetectable twitch in the corners of his lips expressed how thankful he was she started a conversation.

"Not a chance" he replied in the same jokingly tone.

Mac stopped at the hanger and handed one of the two remaining coats to Stella before taking his own. After being dressed properly for facing the freezing climate of a late winter night in New York City, she opened the door and they both made their way out of the house. Snow was falling down calmly on their heads as they reached the front lawn of the Hammerbacks' house. They stood watching the flakes coloring the green parts of the neighborhood in a paler shade.

"White Christmas" her lower tone carried the sense of contemplation. Watching the snow falling was probably her favorite thing from this time of the year. Nature in action, in one of the simplest yet most beautiful ways.

"The best kind" he replied in a similar matter. As it turns out, he was quite the admirer of the same phenomenon. Some of his best childhood memories involved the snow.

Their gazes met again, for it was inevitable. His pale blue eyes sparkled at her in a way she hadn't seen up to this point. She felt her heart warming up in the middle of the cold street. It may be silly of her, but it seemed as if it was clear he cared about her deeply. She wished he could see she felt the exact same way.

When her brain started to get foggy over how gorgeous he looked standing right there in front of her as the snow fell upon them, she decided to avoid a rather dangerous situation "My car is over there" she pointed to the spot down the street where her black car was parked.

"Mine's over here" he also pointed, but to the opposite direction. The rational portion of his form cheering over the fact they'd part ways right now, for his strenght to hold back on the desire of taking her in his embrace and kissing her again and again was hanging by a thread.

"Well then..." she bit her lower lip quickly "Good night, Mac. And Merry Christmas. See you on the 26th?"

"Of course." his gentle tone caused her to smile. He repeated the gesture after seeing her face lit up. "Merry Christmas, Stella."

She nodded before turning her back at him and taking steps towards her car. Once she reached it, she looked over her shoulders. He had already gotten inside his own car, but that didn't stop her to take one last good look at him. Right then and there she didn't feel guilty for wanting to turn around and go after him. But she didn't move for that, it was all condemned to her dreams.


End file.
